A Cook County grand jury has charged actor Jussie Smollett in a 16-count indictment that alleges he fabricated the January hate crime attack that garnered worldwide attention.
Chicago police worked diligently on the case for three weeks to investigate the alleged hate crime of an openly gay black man, who claimed to be assaulted by attackers who put a noose around his neck. Officials initially investigated the case as a possible hate crime, until police detained two men who were “persons of interest,” and revealed that Smollett knew the men and allegedly paid them $3,500 to stage the attack.
In February, Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false report and was granted a $100,000 bail, to which Smollett paid a $10,000 bond. He was also ordered to give up his passport and remain under supervision until trial.
But now, an 86-page indictment charges Smollett with 16 counts of disorderly conduct. Eight of the charges involve false statements given to Officer Muhammed Baig, while the other eight charges pertain to a more detailed account given to Det. Kim Murray. The indictment states, “Jussie Smollett knew that at the time of this transmission there was no reasonable ground for believing that such an offense had been committed.”
In the meantime, Smollett maintains his innocence and still claims he didn’t not stage the attack.
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